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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a heterogeneous disorder, with several possible drivers of disease progression. Since up to 50% of OA patients in clinical studies and approximately 85% in the background population do not progress, it is important to develop means of identifying fast progressors. The aim of this study was to identify key characteristics of disease progression through investigation of the association of radiographic progression over two years with baseline Joint Space Width (JSW), Kellgren Lawrence (KL) grade, WOMAC pain, Joint Space Narrowing (JSN), and BMI.

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The oral delivery of peptides and proteins has been hampered by an array of obstacles. However, several promising novel oral delivery systems have been developed. This paper reviews the most advanced oral formulation technologies, and highlights key lessons and implications from studies undertaken to date with these oral formulations. Special interest is given to oral salmon CT, GLP-1, insulin, PYY-(3-36), rhPTH(1-31)-NH2 and PTH(1-34), by different technologies. The issues addressed include: 1) interaction with water, 2) interaction with food, 3) diurnal variation, 4) inter and intra subject variability, 5) correlation between efficacy and exposure, and 6) key deliverables of different technologies. These key lessons may aid research in the development of other oral formulations.

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The aim of this project was to perform an empirical evaluation of the impact of on-site Source Data Verification (SDV) on the data quality in a clinical trial database to guide an informed decision on selection of monitoring approach.

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CONTEXT: Treatment of osteoporosis with subcutaneous (SC) injections of rhPTH(1-34) or rhPTH(1-84) is associated with significant improvements in BMD and reductions in osteoporotic fractures. However, subcutaneous injections can be associated with discomfort and thus deteriorating compliance. OBJECTIVE: The UGL-OR1001 trial aimed to establish the efficacy and safety parameters of a novel oral tablet formulation of rhPTH(1-31)NH(2) and matching placebo tablets and open-label teriparatide positive control in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. DESIGN: 24weeks of randomized, double-blind treatment with once daily doses of 5mg oral treatment or corresponding placebo, or open-label subcutaneous teriparatide. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Women diagnosed with postmenopausal osteoporosis as detected by lumbar spine DXA, with an exclusion of those with prior treatment with bone active agents. INTERVENTION(S): Orally formulated recombinant human PTH(1-31)NH(2) and placebo, or open-label subcutaneous teriparatide as a positive control. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The primary endpoint was to characterize the percent change from baseline in bone mineral density (BMD) at L1-L4 axial lumbar spine after 24weeks in the rhPTH(1-31)NH(2) arm. Secondary and exploratory endpoints included safety and tolerability of the oral formulation, measurement of biochemical markers of bone turnover, and evaluation of the PK profile at first and last dose. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier: NCT01321723. RESULTS: The oral tablet formulation of rhPTH(1-31)NH(2) resulted in similar PK profiles at both timepoints with mean C(max) values similar to subcutaneous administration. In the rhPTH(1-31)NH(2) arm, a 2.2% increase in lumbar spine BMD was observed compared to baseline (p<0.001), while no change was observed in the placebo arm. Open-label teriparatide, resulted in a 5.1% increase in LS BMD (p<0.001). In the oral PTH study arm, the bone formation marker osteocalcin was increased by 32%, 21% and 23% at Weeks 4, 12 and 24, respectively. There was no significant increase in the level of the bone resorption marker CTx-1. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, these data demonstrate that enteric-coated oral tablet formulation technology consistently generated robust levels of exposure of rhPTH(1-31)NH(2) leading to induction of bone formation without inducing bone resorption resulting in significantly increased levels of LS BMD. Few adverse events were observed, recommending this orally delivered drug candidate for further development.

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The long-term efficacy and safety of once-monthly ibandronate were studied in this extension to the 2-year Monthly Oral Ibandronate in Ladies (MOBILE) trial. Over 5 years, lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) increased from baseline with monthly ibandronate 150 mg (8.4%). Long-term monthly ibandronate is effective and well tolerated for up to 5 years in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.
Once-monthly therapy with ibandronate has been studied for up to 5 years in a long-term extension (LTE) to the 2 year MOBILE trial.
This multicenter, double-blind extension study of monthly ibandronate involved postmenopausal women who had completed 2 years of the MOBILE core study, with ≥75% adherence. Patients were reallocated, or were randomized from daily therapy, to ibandronate 100 mg monthly or 150 mg monthly for a further 3 years.
A pooled intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis of 344 patients receiving monthly ibandronate from the core MOBILE baseline showed increases over 5 years in lumbar spine BMD (8.2% with 100 mg and 8.4% with 150 mg). Three-year data relative to MOBILE LTE baseline in the full ITT population of all 698 patients randomized or reallocated from MOBILE (including those previously on daily treatment) showed, on average, maintenance of proximal femur BMD gains achieved in the core 2-year study, with further small gains in lumbar spine BMD. In general, maintenance of efficacy was also indicated by markers of bone metabolism.
There were no tolerability concerns or new safety signals. Monthly treatment with ibandronate 100 and 150 mg is effective and well tolerated for up to 5 years in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

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Treatment of patients with perioxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ full agonists are associated with weight gain, heart failure, peripheral oedema, and bone loss. However, the safety of partial perioxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonists has not been established in a clinical trial. The BALaglitazone glucose Lowering Efficacy Trial aimed to establish the glucose-lowering effects and safety parameters of the perioxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ partial agonist balaglitazone in diabetic patients on stable insulin therapy.
Four hundred and nine subjects from three countries with type 2 diabetes on stable insulin therapy were randomized to 26 weeks of double-blind treatment with once daily doses of 10 or 20 mg balaglitazone, 45 mg pioglitazone, or matching placebo (n ≥ 99 in each group). The primary endpoint was the efficacy of balaglitazone 10 and 20 mg versus placebo on the absolute change in haemoglobin A(1c) . Secondary endpoints included levels of fasting serum glucose, and changes in body composition and bone mineral density as measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, in comparison to pioglitazone 45 mg. This study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00515632.
In the 10- and 20-mg balaglitazone groups, and in the 45-mg pioglitazone group, significant reductions in haemoglobin A(1c) levels were observed (−0.99, −1.11, and −1.22%, respectively; p < 0.0001) versus placebo. Fasting serum glucose was similarly reduced in all treatment arms. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry analyses showed that, while balaglitazone at 10 mg caused weight gain and fluid retention compared to placebo, the magnitude of these effects was significantly smaller than that of pioglitazone 45 mg and balaglitazone 20mg. Balaglitazone at either dose did not appear to reduce bone mineral density, while Pioglitazone showed a trend towards a reduction.
Patients treated with balaglitazone at 10 mg and 20 mg and pioglitazone at 45 mg showed clinically meaningful improvements in glucose levels and HbA(1c) . With the 10 mg dose, the benefits (glucose & HgA(1c) lowering) and untoward effects (fluid and fat accumulation) were less, results that encourage further studies of this drug candidate.

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Oral delivery of proteins has been hampered by an array of difficulties. However, promising novel oral delivery systems have been developed. 5-CNAC, formulated with the peptide salmon calcitonin, is in phase III clinical trials for the treatment of osteoporosis or osteoarthritis and could become the first marketed oral peptide. This article reviews key findings and implications from studies undertaken to date with this oral formulation. Findings include these: (1) the optimal calcitonin tablet dose is 0.8 mg; (2) 0.8 mg of oral calcitonin is rapidly absorbed, reaching maximum concentration in 15 to 30 minutes, and is eliminated from plasma with a short half-life-9 to 15 minutes; (3) the 0.8-mg tablet is more highly absorbed than the marketed nasal formulation, with biomarker levels indicating significantly greater efficacy in suppression of bone resorption; (4) drug absorption is increased with dosing at least 10 minutes before a meal rather than postprandially and also with 50 mL of water; (5) the optimal timing of dosing for osteoporosis therapy is in the evening to mitigate the circadian peak in bone resorption; and (6) the oral formulations of synthetic and recombinant calcitonin have similar pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. These key findings may aid researchers in the development of other oral formulations.

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The present study describes two newly developed N-terminal pro-peptides of collagen type I (PINP) competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the assessment of corresponding PINP epitopes in the rat- and human species.
Monoclonal antibodies were raised against corresponding rat and human PINP sequences and competitive assays were developed for each species. They were evaluated in relevant pre-clinical or clinical studies.
The antibody characterizations indicated that PINP indeed was recognized. Technical robust assays were obtained. Rat PINP and tALP showed similar patterns in the gold standard osteoporosis rat ovariectomized (OVX) model. No liver contribution was observed in the liver fibrosis rat bile duct ligation model (BDL). In an osteoporosis study, the human serum PINP levels were significantly decreased after ibandronate treatment compared to placebo.
The two corresponding PINP assays were specific and these bone turnover markers may improve translational science for the evaluation for bone-related diseases.

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Osteoarthritis (OA) involves changes in both bone and cartilage. These processes might be associated under some circumstances. This study investigated correlations between bone and cartilage degradation in patients with OA as a function of sex, Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) score, Body Mass Index (BMI), oral salmon calcitonin (sCT) treatment and diurnal variation.
This study was a 2-week, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized study including 37 postmenopausal women and 36 men, aged 57-75 years, with painful knee OA, and a KL-score of I - III. Subjects were allocated to one of three treatment arms: 0.6 mg or 0.8 mg oral sCT, or placebo given twice-daily for 14 days. Correlations between gender, KL score, or BMI and the bone resorption marker, serum C-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I (CTX-I), or the cartilage degradation marker, urine C-terminal telopeptide of collagen type II (CTX-II) were investigated.
At baseline, biomarkers indicated women with OA experienced higher bone and cartilage degradation than men. CTX-I levels were significantly higher, and CTX-II levels only marginally higher, in women than in men (p = 0.04 and p = 0.06, respectively). Increasing KL score was not correlated with bone resorption, but was significantly associated with the cartilage degradation CTX-II marker in both men and women (p = 0.007). BMI was significantly and negatively correlated to the bone resorption marker CTX-I, r = -0.40 (p = 0.002), but showed only a borderline positive correlation to CTX-II, r = 0.25 (p = 0.12). Before morning treatments on days 1 and 14, no correlation was seen between CTX-I and CTX-II in either the sCT or placebo group. However, oral sCT and food intake induced a clear correlation between these bone and cartilage degradation markers. Four hours after the first sCT dose on treatment days 1 and 14, a significant correlation (r = 0.71, p < 0.001) between changes in both CTX-I and CTX-II was seen. In the placebo group a weakly significant correlation between changes in both markers was found on day 1 (r = 0.49, p = 0.02), but not on day 14.
Bone resorption was higher in females than males, while cartilage degradation was correlated with increasing KL-score and only weakly associated with BMI. Bone and cartilage degradation were not correlated in untreated individuals, but dosing with oral sCT with or without food, and a mid-day meal, decreased bone and cartilage degradation and induced a correlation between both markers. Changes in bone and cartilage markers may aid in the identification of potential new treatment opportunities for OA.
Clinical trial registration number (EUDRACT2006-005532-24 & NCT00486369).

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We have investigated biochemical indices of bone formation and bone resorption: serum alkaline phosphatase (sAP) plasma bone Gla protein (pBGP), fasting urinary hydroxyproline corrected for creatinine (FuHP/Cr), and fasting urinary calcium corrected for creatinine (FuCa/Cr) in 43 postmenopausal women with spinal fractures. Furthermore, histomorphometric indices of bone resorption and bone formation, as well as whole body retention (WBR) of 99m-technetium-diphosphonate (99mTc-DP), were determined. The results are compared to pre- and postmenopausal normal subjects. The results showed that indices of bone formation were mutually correlated except for sAP vs. WBR. sAP, WBR, and pBGP increased with age. sAP and WBR were not different between osteoporotics and age-matched controls, while pBGP and probably histological indices of bone formation were lower in osteoporotics than in age-matched controls. pBGP--and to a lesser extent sAP--were significantly correlated with all histological parameters reflecting bone formation. Finally, biochemical indices of bone resorption were high in osteoporotic patients and poorly correlated with histological bone resorption. The discrepancy between biochemical markers of bone formation may be related to the low sensitivity of sAP and WBR. Conversely, pBGP, sAP, and WBR may reflect different aspects of osteoblastic activity and bone mineralization. Finally, our data suggest that bone turnover increases with aging and that osteoporotic patients have higher bone resorption and probably lower bone formation than age-matched controls.

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The effect of two different estrogen/gestagen regimens and 24R,25-(OH)2-cholecalciferol on bone formation was studied in a randomized trial with 144 healthy postmenopausal women. Urinary excretion (UE) of 99m-technetium-diphosphonate and serum alkaline phosphatase (AP) was determined before and then once a year for 2 years of treatment. Both estimates of bone formation showed highly significant decreases (p less than .001) to normal premenopausal levels in women receiving unopposed 17 beta-estradiol or in a sequential combination with progestagen, whereas unchanged high values were found in the groups receiving 24R,25-(OH)2D3 and placebo. The data show that bone turnover increases in early postmenopausal women concomitantly with the loss of bone mass, and that hormonal substitutional therapy normalizes the total skeletal turnover as well as preventing bone loss.

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The aims of the study were to investigate interindividual variations in the bioavailability of salmon calcitonin (sCT) following single oral 0.8 mg doses at three different times of the day, and intraindividual variation in sCT bioavailability at each end of a 14-day treatment period. We also investigated correlations between exposure to sCT and levels of the bone resorption biomarker serum C-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I (CTX-I).
Participants were from two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. In study I, healthy postmenopausal women received a single dose of 0.8 mg of oral sCT or placebo at 08:00 (n = 42), 17:00 (n = 20), or at 22:00 (n = 19). In study II, age-matched men or postmenopausal women with osteoarthritis received 0.8 mg oral sCT (n = 26) or placebo (n = 23) twice daily for 14 days, with dosing at 08:00 and 17:00. In both studies, drug exposure was assessed by plasma sCT concentrations, and bone resorption by CTX-I levels.
The variability in exposure between patients, measured as coefficient of variation (CV), was as follows: 22% for the morning dose, 30% for the predinner dose, and 34% for the evening dose. In study 1, a high degree of correlation was seen between the level of exposure following a single 0.8 mg dose of sCT and suppression of serum CTX-I, with Pearson correlation coefficients of r = -0.74, -0.96, and -0.78, following doses at 08:00, 17:00, and 22:00, respectively. In study II, exposure to sCT varied widely within the same individuals between dosing days 1 and 14, with weak correlations of r = 0.40 and 0.38 at the dose times 08:00 and 17:00, respectively. As expected from this finding, the intraindividual response in serum CTX-I levels was non-significantly associated on dosing days 1 and 14 (r = 0.34 and r = 0.27 at dose times 08:00 and 17:00, respectively).
Increased bioavailability of orally administered 0.8 mg sCT was highly correlated with increased suppression of the bone resorption marker serum CTX-I irrespective of the time of day. However, the high inter- and intraindividual variability in sCT exposure demonstrates the importance of determining the optimum conditions for ensuring the most beneficial sCT uptake.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of oral salmon calcitonin (oSCT) administered over 14 days to men and women presenting with osteoarthritis (OA).
The study was a phase-I, 2-week, placebo-controlled, double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, gender-stratified study including 73 subjects aged 57-75 years. Patients had painful OA with a Kellgren and Lawrence index score of I-III. Treatment allocations were; 0.6 mg, 0.8 mg of oSCT, or placebo. Treatment was given twice daily for 14 days. The morning dose was administered between 07:00 and 08:00 at least 30 min before breakfast. The second dose was administered 30 min before evening dinner. On treatment day 1 and 14, the morning dose was followed by 5h of fasting, and blood samples and urine were collected immediately prior to dosing and according to the protocol. Study parameters were: plasma sCT levels, bone resorption by CTX-I (serum C-terminal telopeptide of collagen type I), bone formation by osteocalcin (serum OC), and cartilage degradation by CTX-II (urine C-terminal telopeptide of collagen type II) (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00486369).
Doses of 0.8 mg compared with 0.6 mg produced significantly higher C(max) and AUC(0-4 hrs), of calcitonin, P=0.03. This resulted in significant reductions in CTX-I and CTX-II, [P<0.0001; P=0.007]. No differences were observed between baseline and follow-up at day 14 in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters. Gender had no observable influence on results.
oSCT given twice daily with a pre-dinner and morning fasting dosing resulted in reductions in markers of bone resorption and cartilage degradation.

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Vertebral osteoporosis, a common disorder in elderly women, is characterized by a wide spectrum of bone turnover abnormalities on iliac crest biopsy. The level of bone formation can be assessed noninvasively by measuring serum osteocalcin, whereas conventional biochemical markers of bone resorption lack specificity and do not reflect bone resorption assessed from histology. We measured the urinary excretion of pyridinoline crosslinks Pyr and D-Pyr, a specific marker of bone and cartilage collagen degradation, along with serum osteocalcin and urinary hydroxyproline, in 36 elderly women with vertebral osteoporosis who had a simultaneous iliac crest biopsy. Urinary pyridinoline crosslinks, but not hydroxyproline, correlated significantly with histologic resorption, assessed by the osteoclast surface (r = 0.35, p less than 0.05 for Pyr; r = 0.46, p less than 0.01 for D-Pyr). In addition, Pyr and D-Pyr were correlated with the bone formation rate as well as serum osteocalcin, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.69 to 0.80, p less than 0.0001. These data indicate that Pyr and D-Pyr are sensitive markers of bone turnover in elderly women with vertebral osteoporosis. The poor correlation between the level of urinary collagen crosslinks and histological assessment of bone resorption indicates the low sensitivity of iliac crest histomorphometry in the measurement of resorption rate of the skeleton.

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Bone turnover was determined in 125 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Bone Gla protein (BGP) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) were used as markers of bone formation. Fasting urinary calcium relative to creatinine (FU Ca/Cr) and fasting urinary hydroxyproline relative to creatinine (FU Hpr/Cr) were used as markers of bone resorption. These variables were compared to the values of two groups of normal controls in order to elucidate the pathophysiology of the osteopenia occurring in patients with RA. When the patients were divided into groups according to treatment (gold salts, penicillamine, or glucocorticoids), serum AP was highly significantly increased in all three groups, whereas serum BGP was below the normal mean. FU Ca/Cr and FU Hpr/Cr were moderately decreased in the groups treated with gold salts or penicillamine, but increased in the glucocorticoid-treated group. When divided according to sex and menopausal state and glucocorticoid treatment versus non-glucocorticoid treatment, there was a balance between bone formation and bone resorption parameters in all groups, except glucocorticoid-treated men and premenopausal women who had increased values of bone resorption parameters.